Kakao Data Center to be Built at Hanyang University ERICA Campus in Ansan

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] A 400 billion KRW investment will bring Kakao Corporation's data center to Hanyang University ERICA Campus in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province.

On the 7th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it signed a 'Basic Agreement for the Attraction of Kakao Corporation Data Center and Industry-Academia Cooperation Facility' with Ansan City, Hanyang University, and Kakao at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Situation Room, agreeing to build the Kakao data center in the Hanyang University ERICA Campus Innovation Park.

At the signing ceremony, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung said, "COVID-19 is accelerating the transition to a digital economy such as remote work and online classes," adding, "With the attraction of Kakao's data center and industry-academia cooperation facilities, Gyeonggi Province has established itself as a hub leading the domestic information and communication industry."

He also added, "I hope this attraction will mark the beginning of a happy digital economy transition for the citizens of Ansan and the province."

According to the agreement, Kakao will invest 400 billion KRW to construct a data center and industry-academia cooperation facilities on a 18,383㎡ site within the Hanyang University ERICA Campus area.

Kakao plans to complete the architectural design by the second half of this year, proceed with administrative procedures such as building permits, and start the land lease contract and construction next year. Completion is scheduled for 2023. The province expects significant job creation by employing research personnel and data center server management staff.

The Kakao data center will be a hyperscale facility capable of operating over 100,000 servers, storing a total of 120,000 servers within the computer building. The data storage capacity will be 6 exabytes (EB, 1 exabyte equals 1 billion gigabytes).

The data center is an integrated management facility providing servers, networks, storage, and network devices, serving as core infrastructure for data collection and operation.

The province and Ansan City will provide administrative support, including permits and approvals, to ensure the data center and industry-academia cooperation facilities are promptly implemented to contribute to regional economic revitalization.

Hanyang University will provide the site within the ERICA Campus Innovation Park and promote talent development by conducting separate on-site training for students in collaboration with Kakao.

Near the Hanyang University ERICA Campus Innovation Park, where the data center will be located, is the Ansan Science Valley (ASV), designated last year as a Small Giant R&D Special Zone by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Accordingly, the province expects that attracting the Kakao data center will influence the attraction of companies in various fields due to Kakao's brand power, playing a significant role not only in revitalizing the local economy but also in advancing Gyeonggi Province's information and communication industry.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.